Jeju Air denies negligence amid investigation into fatal crash

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By Sky Industry News

Dec 29, 2024

Authorities have confirmed the deaths of all 175 passengers and four crew members in a crash involving a Jeju Air flight at Muan International Airport in South Korea. The airline has denied that maintenance issues were responsible for the accident.

The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, was on a flight from Bangkok when it crashed during landing. Video footage revealed that the landing gear did not deploy correctly, causing the plane to land on its belly before crashing into a wall and catching fire. Only two crew members survived and were hospitalized.

Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air's management support division, stated that "We prioritize safe flight and conduct thorough maintenance before and after departures, so this is not an issue of maintenance negligence." He also assured support for victims' families: "We will secure accommodations for the bereaved families...and we plan to support the families of the passengers who are coming to the site of the accident."

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The cause of the crash remains uncertain. The aircraft had declared an emergency after reportedly being struck by a bird. According to reports, air traffic control directed it to land in reverse direction following this incident. Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun indicated weather conditions and bird strike as possible factors under investigation.

Among those onboard were 82 men and 93 women, aged between three and 78 years old. Most were South Korean nationals with two Thai nationals among them.

A timeline compiled from various reports outlines key events: a bird strike warning was issued at 08:54; Mayday declared at 08:59; aircraft landed without gear deployed at 09:03; cockpit voice recorder recovered by 11:30; flight data recorder retrieved by 14:24; death toll confirmed at 21:00.

Local authorities face challenges decoding damaged data from the flight recorder. An official mentioned that “Decoding the FDR alone could take about a month," with potential assistance from NTSB if needed.

For ongoing updates on this tragic event, Simple Flying continues coverage as more information becomes available.